Subject to Love: Pride, Parenting, and The Rainbow Bee
By Ricardo Gattas-Moras | Poppy Marketing & Consulting
We invited Chamber Member Ricardo Gattas-Moras to share a blog about what Pride Month means to him. As a father, business owner, and author, he brings one of many unique perspectives to both our community and our membership.
Take a moment to read his powerful reflection this Pride Month. Thank you, Ricardo, for sharing your story.
Subject to Love: Pride, Parenting, and The Rainbow Bee
As we celebrate Pride Month, I keep coming back to one simple truth: visibility matters, especially when it is paired with love.
For me, Pride is a mix of gratitude and community. A moment to look back at the people who made it possible for families like mine to exist openly, and a moment to look forward and ask what legacy we want to leave behind.
One of the earliest and most meaningful Pride moments in my life involved my mom. Not long after I came out, she helped me see what Pride really is. At first, I thought it was mainly celebration. Then I learned the history and realized it is also legacy, responsibility, and protection. Learning what people risked to create space for all of us changed something in me. It planted a responsibility I still carry, not only for myself, but for the next generation.
That sense of responsibility became more real once I became a parent.
When our oldest was born, my husband and I fell into the same rhythm that so many parents know. Reading bedtime stories, pointing at pictures, repeating the same lines night after night, watching how quickly a child starts to recognize words and patterns. And as we watched those small moments add up, we realized something important.
We wanted our kids to grow up with stories that reflected the values we were trying to build at home. Stories that felt inclusive, that used language making room for different kinds of families, and that reinforced the message that love is what makes a family.
At some point, we looked around and asked ourselves: what are we putting in front of them? What messages are landing in the everyday moments that shape how they see themselves and how they see other people?
That is part of what led to The Rainbow Bee.
I have always loved bees, and the idea of a rainbow bee felt like a symbol of something simple and powerful. Even when we look different, we share more in common than we think. The message at the heart of the book is the message we want our kids to grow up believing:
...what brings us together is bigger than what separates us.
As a gay dad, there is another layer you do not always see in the picture-perfect moments. It is the reality of navigating questions and comments in real time. Sometimes they come from adults who do not know what to say. Other times, from children who are simply trying to understand the world around them.
Kids notice patterns. They notice what is common in their classrooms, in cartoons, in storybooks, and in the families they see at pickup. So, when they ask questions about why our family looks different than someone else's, it can stop you in your tracks. And even with all the reading and preparation, those moments still carry weight.
Our goal is to answer with calm, clarity, and love. We try to give them language that makes sense at their age. We also surround them with other families and parents who reflect all kinds of stories, because diversity is part of real life. Our kids should see that reflected everywhere: at school, in books, and in the people around them.
The last thing I ever want is for my children to feel like they do not belong.
I want them to feel grounded. Safe. Proud of who they are.
When I think about what I needed to hear when I was younger, it is this: you are not broken, there is nothing wrong with you. You are allowed to be who you are. The more you learn to tell the truth about your heart in safe spaces, the more you learn to love yourself.
That is why Pride matters to me. It is a celebration and a commitment to make sure people, especially kids, do not grow up thinking they have to hide.
Since publishing The Rainbow Bee, we have been humbled by the responses from families. People shared that it helped them start conversations they did not know how to start. Friends and family told us it became their go-to baby shower gift. And one of the most surreal moments was having Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York, read the book and share it with her audience.
That is when it hit me: this story could help more families than just ours.
At home, our message to our kids is simple. We will love and protect you no matter what.
That message lives in me too. When the world feels loud, when people make assumptions, when the weight of it all presses in, you come back to the core.
Love first. Protect your family. Keep showing up.
Pride is also an opportunity to start these conversations early. To equip ourselves as parents with language that helps kids embrace the world as it is. And to raise children with the confidence and compassion to be advocates, not only for people like them, but for people who are different from them too.
Outside of family life, I run Poppy Marketing & Consulting in Katy, helping local businesses grow with clear strategy and smart automation.
If you would like to learn more about The Rainbow Bee, you can find it here: amazon.com/dp/B092VHPCNC
And if you want to learn more about my business, visit: poppymarketingandconsulting.com
Thank you for celebrating Pride Month with me. For my family, it is a reminder that visibility matters, love is everything, and the stories we share with our kids can shape a kinder future.
We are proud to call Poppy Marketing & Consulting one of our Chamber Members and LGBTBE® certified businesses.
Poppy Marketing & Consulting
ricardo@poppymarketingandconsulting.com
(941) 777-4933
poppymarketingandconsulting.com